Learning Outcomes

1. Identify biotic and abiotic characteristics in an ecosystem
2. Understand that the biosphere is composed of ecosystems, each with distinct biotic and abiotic characteristics.
3. Explain how limiting factors influence an organism’s distribution and range e.g.,
   · abiotic factors: soil, relative humidity, moisture, ambient temperature, sunlight, nutrients, oxygen · biotic factors: competitors, predators and parasites
4. Define and explain the interrelationship among species, population, community, habitat, niche and ecosystem. State examples of each.
5. Explore different types of symbiotic relationships and interpret them as parasitism, commensalism and mutualism.
6. Understand the different roles played by each organism in the ecosystem and the various relationships between them (e.g. predator-prey and competition).
7. State that the Sun is the principal source of energy input to biological systems.
8. Describe the non-cyclical nature of energy flow.
9. Define autotroph (producer), heterotroph (consumer), detritivore and saprotroph (decomposer), and trophic levels.
10. Explain how energy losses occur along food chains, and discuss the efficiency of energy transfer between trophic levels.
11. Interpret food chains, food webs, pyramids of numbers and biomass.
12. Define Bioaccumulation as the accumulation of contaminants by species in concentrations that are in magnitude higher than the surrounding environment.
13. State that the bioaccumulation is the sum of bioconcentration and biomagnification.
14. Define biomagnification as the buildup of substances in the bodies of organisms at higher trophic levels of food webs.
15. Explain using an example of biomagnification in an ecosystem.

Knowledge

1. Individual members of populations interact with each other as well as with members of other populations, which can have an impact on the populations involved.
2. There is a continuous exchange of materials / energy between the living systems and the Earth and the balance of nature is sustained when losses equal to replacements.
3. The energy input to ecosystems is the radiant energy of sunlight and producers are essential to harness this radiant energy and convert it to chemical energy through the process of photosynthesis.
4. Energy flow through an ecosystem in the form of chemical energy is present in organic matter and the flow is unidirectional.
5. Inter-relationships and inter-dependencies among organisms generate stable ecosystems that fluctuate around a rough state of equilibrium.